


Into the Eye of Destiny

by GuardianFenrir



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28066776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuardianFenrir/pseuds/GuardianFenrir
Summary: In the world of Remnant, destiny is never left to chance.  Events may differ in the extreme, but somehow things seem to follow many similar tracks, even in the midst of adversity.
Relationships: Ghira Belladonna/Kali Belladonna
Kudos: 2





	Into the Eye of Destiny

I was once told that destiny was never left to chance.  
That every day we make choices that alter the very course of not only our future, but those around us.  
But I learned something funny about destiny not so long ago:  
It seems to have this… energy, this consistency about it that is unchangeable, even as the world irrevocably changes, that guides us to become our best possible selves.  
I often wonder what my life would have been like if not for the path I have been set on already, who I would have met, where I would have gone…  
I guess it’s too late to find out now.

Menagerie was busier than usual today. Apparently word of the return of Sienna and her squad had not only spread like wildfire around the sprawling island village, but it had caused enough of a stir that the people had become livelier, more excitable in anticipation of the return of the woman that currently led White Fang.  
And none was more excited to see her than a young girl who looked up to her as a mother, currently sitting on the steps of the Belladonna home with yet another she considered a sister: the daughter of those who lived in said estate.  
“You’re being really fidgety,” Blake observed. “She’ll be here soon enough, don’t worry.”  
“I know, I know,” the younger of the two replied. “It’s just been so long since she’s been around, I want to tell her about all of the progress that I’ve made!”  
Blake laughed at the cheery girl’s smile. “I’m sure she’ll be very pleased to hear your training is coming along. Speaking of, have you picked a weapon to stick with yet?”  
“Mmm… I’ve been having a hard time picking,” her smile turned into a quizzical expression. “Swords are like… really cool and versatile, but a staff is so unique, y’know? And OH don’t get me started on weapons that use Dust, those are like the coolest things ever made!”  
Blake’s laughter continued, albeit more subdued. “You’re going to have to pick soon, you know. From what I hear, Sienna wants to take you out on your first mission when she arrives, and she can’t exactly do that if you don’t have a weapon.”  
The younger girl felt her hairs stand on-end at the idea of going out on her first journey out of White Fang territory. She’d been to a couple of the continents before, but she only ever stayed on the boat or the outpost that had been created for a supply handoff or delivery. There was one time she had snuck off the boat and gotten view of a city not too far from where they had moored, bright and bustling, it had to be full of three times as many people as Menagerie had within it, and even from a distance, you could see that technology was more advanced there than she had ever seen in her life. She had taken her first step towards the city when Blake had found her, sneaking her back to the ship before she could get into too much trouble for running off without Sienna’s permission.  
“Really?” she grinned excitedly. “Oh man, I’m gonna work five- no- six times as hard to find my weapon, then!”  
“I’m not sure that’s possible…”  
“Ohhhhh just you wait Blake, tomorrow I’m going to be hacking and slashing- no wait, blasting and bashing- mmmm… whacking and smashing…” she trailed off more with each addendum. “Errr… help me out Blake, I still can’t choose. What did you pick?”  
“Oh, you’ll see,” Blake smirked. “Ilia and I are making our weapons tomorrow, and after that, well… that’s how I know about the mission I mentioned earlier. We’re all supposed to be going.”  
The girl’s silver eyes lit up with excitement. “You really think that’s possible?!”  
Blake nodded. “I think it’s more than likely, as a matter of fact. Many of the major White Fang cells have been running operation after operation in the past few months in preparation of… well, that part I haven’t been able to figure out quite yet. But if Sienna is coming here, I imagine there has to be a pretty big reason, and she’s always had something of an eye on you all the time, so…”  
“Wow, that’d be really, really… really cool,” she smiled wide. “Man, I should go pick something out right now!”  
“Wait, hold on-“ it was too late. The girl sped off at a rate that seemed impossible, and yet she alone had always managed to take off at a pace no one could keep up with. Blake shook her head. “I was going to suggest you wait until Ilia shows you hers. Or mine.”  
She continued running, successfully making it to the training grounds mere moments after her initial takeoff. She scanned the field, marveling at the multitude of Faunus training in the use of even more various weapons: sickles and axes, slingshots and rifles. Some of them hand-built, but most pillaged from raids around the globe, and most of those were specifically Atlesian in design.  
“Well hey there, kiddo!” she turned to see a large man with jet-black hair had started prowling towards her as soon as she had entered his vision. “Didn’t expect to see you out here today, I thought you and Blake were out playing games.”  
“Hey Mr. Belladonna!” she smiled as she rocked on her feet. “Yeah, we were, but Blake told me that Sienna was s’posed to be here soon and wants me to have a weapon, and so I thought I’d give another shot at picking one before she gets here.”  
The smile he had been wearing upon first greeting had noticeably vanished the same moment Sienna’s name was uttered. “You don’t say?” he tried to hide his frustration, barely managing to fool the girl into believing he was merely lost in thought- a statement not too far from the truth. “Well, if that’s what you’re up to, how about a hand, hm? Got a lot of ideas I had to put aside when Blake chose hers the other day.”  
The girl frowned. “Blake chose and didn’t tell me yet?”  
“I wanted it to be a surprise!” Blake shouted from across the field, having finally caught up to her. “Ilia and I have a sparring match in an hour and we wanted to show off our weapons then.”  
“Ohhhhhhh, I understand,” she brought her hands up into fists in front of her. “But you guys can’t be the only ones to show off cool stuff! I hafta make Sienna proud of me, too.”  
“Maybe… learn to be proud of yourself first,” Ghira suggested, shooting a glance at Blake that he hoped she would translate correctly, wanting to cease talking about the head of the Fang. “But if finding out what weapon you understand the most is what does it, then I encourage it whole-heartedly.”  
“Thanks Mr. Belladonna!” she beamed. “Got any suggestions?”  
“Hmm… how do you feel about throwing weapons?”

“She seems to be doing quite well.”  
“Yes, but she has yet to master a weapon of her own, something her fellow trainees have all been successful in doing.”  
“Give her time, brother. She will find her path soon enough. And as long as she masters her powers, then whatever weapon abilities she develops are completely secondary.”  
“Her survivability will depend on her mastery over a weapon sooner rather than later, if our plans for her are to proceed.”  
“Patience, my brother, she will learn in due time. She has many watching over her, whether she knows it or not, guiding her path forward.”  
“Patience does not purchase our place in life, brother.”  
“Patience brings us closer to our goals, as long as you have the vision to see ahead.”  
“Your need to be so vague and cryptic is often infuriating, you know?”  
“And your penchant for impatience and action is tiring. Let the girl find her way forward, and we will be there to influence the choices that matter, do not fear.”  
“I still do not enjoy the idea of trusting our eventual fate to a human.”  
“Ah, so you reveal the source of your anger. That is fair, my brother, but remember: it is not our fates alone she will directly decide. No, she is destined for so much more…”

The first of the guards the girl faced was finally approaching her, a shield covering both he and the two others flanking him. The pair on his sides brought their weapons to bear on her, on her right: a spear, and on her left: a hammer, though that weapon was more complex than just a simple hammer, though she could not entirely analyze it as it came closer, as it was in the process of swinging towards her after not too long.  
She ducked backward, narrowly avoiding the blunt weapon that had been aimed for her head mere moments ago, but found the spear rapidly thrust towards her as the hammer finished its arc. It grazed her, causing her aura to flash a bright silver that matched her eyes for a brief moment. She was able to capitalize on the hit, wrapping her arm around the weapon and using her weight to shift it away from the cluster of guards. Regardless of whether she was able to wrest control of the weapon or pull the guard away from the others, she would have an opening she could use.  
It was the latter of the two, the one she had admittedly been hoping for more. She brought her left hand up, the boomerang in her grip flashing in the sunlight before the hurled it directly at the head of the dislodged soldier. The guard did not have time to recover from her stumble before the boomerang found its mark, striking her in the head and knocking the helmet cleanly off. She tumbled backward, aura flashing brightly. Not enough to fade out entirely, but enough that a notable haze was now crossing over her body.  
The girl smirked, proud of herself for putting enough strength in the throw to take the guard down long enough for her to plan her next move. She savored her minor victory for too long, however, failing to notice the hammer-wielding guard had broken from his cover behind the shield-bearer. She gasped as the hammer reared over the man’s head, clutched in both hands for a powerful crushing blow. She rolled backwards just in time, narrowly avoiding the blow that managed to crack the ground it had struck.  
Stupid boomerang, still in the air, she thought, reaching out as it finally came back to her. Should work on a magnet system on a gauntlet or something instead of just flying.  
“Focus,” Ghira drew out the word as he watched from the sidelines, presumably noticing the scrunched up face she often made as she got inside her head.  
“Got it,” she acknowledged, recovering from her roll. The hammer and shield wielders had stayed apart, now flanking her from both sides while the third guard got to her feet between them. She was unsure who would attack first, as both seemed just as prepared to attack at any given moment. She hedged her bets on the shield-bearer, figuring he was likely to make an attack after both of his partners had moved in on her at least once already. She subtly angled her feet towards him as he began adopting a more aggressive stance, prepared to react to whatever attack would come. Unfortunately, her senses were incorrect, and she soon found the hammer in her space again, this time connecting with her shoulder hard enough her Aura crackled angrily, and she flew a good few feet backward, barely landing on her feet. The shield-bearer was on her just as quickly as she recovered, however, and she once again found herself pushed back as he slammed it into her stomach, charging forward. Unable to get a decent bearing on his face as she hurtled through the air, she threw her boomerang in a tight arc, predicting where they would likely be and sending it into space. Her calculations were correct, and the boomerang once again connected with one of her foes heads, knocking him aside and giving her the time to sprint away, making sure to grab her weapon before putting distance between them.  
The guard she had managed to knock down first had taken her place at the hammer’s side now, and the pair made their way towards the last member of their crew. The girl had no time to waste, and she threw the boomerang at the man still recovering once again, hoping to keep him down while she could figure out an angle on the others.  
What she had not been expecting was the woman with the spear to send her own weapon through the air, intercepting the boomerang mid-flight and sending it tumbling to the ground with a clang. The spear was nowhere close to being aimed at her, so she didn’t have to worry about evading it, but she did find herself without a plan now, unarmed and outnumbered.  
She sighed in frustration as her aggressors made their way towards her, just about to step over her weapon, now lying lifeless on the ground. The same thoughts of improving the weapon came to her mind again, but she shook herself out of them before losing herself to deeply into it, instead analyzing her surroundings. They would be on top of her soon, and they had begun tightening their formation yet again, assuming the same stance they had at the start of the battle.  
With them that close together, they’re giving me a lot of room to move around them, she continued scanning everything. If they get close enough, maybe I could use my semblance to go around them and get my weapon again.  
Thought would have to be put into action soon, as it was only a matter of seconds before she’d be in the range of their weapons again. As they were just a few feet from striking distance, she hurtled towards them, changing direction just as they all prepared their weapons for a simultaneous strike. Their weapons met nothing but air, as she had dashed right by as they attacked in unison. For a moment, they had lost sight of the girl, perplexed at the lack of opponent in their sights. The clang of boomerang-against-helmet for the third time was what shook them out of their stupor as the hammer-wielder took a blow to the back of the head, tumbling forward and onto the shield-bearer.  
The girl grinned as the spearwoman turned to face her. “’Sup?”  
The guard smirked, obviously amused by the girl, but not about to end the fight just because she liked her. The boomerang zipper into her hand again and the pair squared off, shifting through a series of combat stances as they tried to predict what the other was going to do. The girl rushed forward, chucking the boomerang at an angle again while charging the guard. She didn’t have time to react to both, planting her spear in the ground and ducking down, causing the boomerang to soar over her head, but putting herself in an easier position for the girl’s knee to connect with her jaw. The guard’s Aura finally faded out, but the girl recoiled in pain, as her own Aura gave way as she connected, causing a surge of pain to rush through her leg.  
“Alright, that’s enough,” Ghira raised up his arms, signaling the session to end. “Good job everyone, you did very well.” He slowly came to the girl’s position, who was currently on the ground clutching her knee. “Hey, you did real good, kiddo. Do you need to see the medic?”  
“N- no,” she spoke through clenched teeth. “It’s fine, it just hurts.”  
“Mhm,” he nodded. “I would imagine it does. That move would have worked, too, if you hadn’t taken those hits. I have to say, you took to that thing pretty quick,” he pointed to the boomerang. “Your use of angles was pretty impressive for a first-time use.”  
“Second time,” she corrected him. “I used it once like three months ago, didn’t like the thing.”  
“Oh?” he looked confused, yet amused. “Then why did you agree to it when I suggested it?”  
“Well… trust you,” she sat up. “You’re really good at seeing the skills people possess. So… I gave it another go. It went better than last time, I’ll admit.”  
“Well,” his face softened. “Thank you for trusting me. But you should remember that it’s just as important to make your own choices, set your own goals and boundaries. If you don’t want to do something, it’s perfectly okay to say no.”  
“Really?” her brow furrowed. “But I wouldn’t want to upset you, Mr. Belladonna.”  
“Setting boundaries should not make people upset,” he shook his head, casting a glance over at Blake, who was currently speaking to the shield-bearer. “It’s something I wish I had taught Blake sooner, so allow me to pass my fatherly knowledge to you, little one.”  
“Oh, well,” she smiled fondly. “Thanks Mr. Belladonna. Does this mean if I tell you no vegetables, I can skip right to dessert?”  
The man let out a healthy laugh. “Well, not quite,” he smiled. “But perhaps just to teach you a lesson, I’ll let it slide this once.”

The girl made her way through all of her previous onlookers, thanking them for watching her fight, believing that meant they had found value in watching her fight, which most truthfully did. The young girl had a way with weapons, showing a fondness for them very early in life and just as quickly taking to using them not long after. Half a decade had passed, however, and she was still no closer to picking a weapon that would define her future as a soldier of the White Fang.  
Jack of all trades, master of none, so the saying goes.  
She eventually came upon the three she had been doing battle with, all engaged in conversation with each other, but all of whom found their attention drawn to her the moment she was within their immediate vision.  
“You guys were fantastic today!” she complemented them. “Lamine, you’ve gotten really dangerous with that spear, I haven’t seen anyone so precise in all my life.”  
“Heh, well thanks, kid,” the woman replied. “You weren’t too shabby out there yourself. But… a boomerang? Really? That was your weapon of choice for the evening?”  
“Ah, it was the Chief’s suggestion, give her some credit,” the man on her right, the hammer-wielder, said. “I think he’s trying to reach around some of the more vague weapons to try and help her find what she’s looking for,” his mouse-like ears twitched. “And for the record, I haven’t seen someone fight so creatively with a boomerang before. Well, I guess I’ve never actually watched someone fight with a boomerang at all.”  
The girl giggled. “Well, thank you for the compliment, Birch. And uh… I’d like to never be on the receiving end of your hammer again. That thing is… real hefty.”  
“Heh heh, promise I’ll never use it against you for real, kid,” he held out his hand to clasp hers. She reached out and took his forearm in her hand, feeling the same cool rush she always felt on him after he made any sort of declaration. His Semblance, ‘Vigilance,’ he called it, a promise that he was now incapable of going back on without causing himself severe pain.  
“Birch, one day you’re really gonna get in trouble over your willingness to make promises to people,” Lamine commented, nudging his shoulder after the pair unclasped their arms.  
“And you’re probably going to get in trouble sooner due to your own Semblance,” the third member of the trio commented. “The perfect counter to his own. What did you call it? ‘Sharptongue?’”  
Lamine frowned at the leader of the group. “Screw you, Carlyle.” Her words seemed to echo as she spoke, and his Aura flashed as the words left her lips.  
“Ah, there it is,” he grinned. “The biting silver tongue of the snake.”  
“Y’know, since you were born, you have always been such a pain,” she frowned.  
“Somebody had to give you a challenge,” he shrugged. “You went too long getting whatever you wanted with that ability.”  
“Hey, calm down, you too,” Birch cut in with a sigh. “Sorry about them, they’ve been like this since coming back from their last tour. They both seem to have gotten snippier.”  
“Heh, it’s okay,” the girl smiled. “I like seeing siblings interact. It gives me an idea of how I should act around Blake.”  
“Oh, don’t do that,” Birch laughed. “I wouldn’t take any cues from these two.”  
As if summoned by her name, Blake appeared by her adopted sister’s side, arms folded and giving the siblings a dirty look as they continued bickering. “I have to agree with Birch,” her voice spooked the girl, who jumped a few inches into the air. “I like the way you already are, no need to emulate… this,” she beckoned widely at the pair.  
“Aw, thanks Blake,” the silver-eyed girl threw her arms around the older girl. “I appreciate that.”  
The usually stoic-faced Faunus couldn’t help but smile at the affections of the other. “You’re… welcome,” she gave her a tentative hug, unsure how to react, but wanting her to know she was appreciated.  
“I think you’re both doing pretty good,” Carlyle broke off his banter with his sister. “You bring out some real nice qualities in each other, and that’s what good siblings are supposed to do. Even this one here manages that, I think.” Lamine threw up an obscene gesture, to which Carlyle gestured towards the children in disapproval. Her response was to hide it with her other hand. “See? She makes me have to be the responsible one,” he smirked.  
The red-headed girl covered her laugh as Lamine got up and mock-stormed off, making sure to shoot an amused smirk back at the girl before continuing her path, as if to reassure her that she wasn’t actually mad.  
“Alright kids, we should all probably think about getting something to eat,” Carlyle spoke as he shook his head. “I’d imagine that’s where Lamine is going now. Did you want to come with us?”  
Before the girl could speak, Blake raised her hand. “Actually, I was heading over because dad wants us to meet with him for lunch.”  
“Oh, okay,” her head hung lightly in disappointment. “Promise lunch tomorrow?”  
“Long as neither of us have plans, kid,” he winked. “My sis and I would be glad to bring you along. Till next time, both of you.” He beckoned at Birch, who nodded and fell in with him. He threw a wave over his shoulder as the pair followed after their last member, melting into the crowd out of the girls’ sight.  
“I’m sad we don’t get to eat with them today,” the girl said. “Do you know why your dad wants us?”  
“I think it’s about Sienna,” Blake had a slight edge to her voice. “I think he’s uncomfortable with us going with her today, and wants to talk us out of it.”  
“Oh,” the girl’s face sunk, uncomfortable at the conflict between the pair. “Okay. Well, guess we shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

Blake led her adopted sister back inside the sprawling home of the Belladonnas, noticing a slight hustle in the step of all of the guards, and an atmosphere of stress permeated the building, hidden, but still noticeable. She appreciated the smiles they still gave her though. Not all, of course, but most everybody that she knew at least gave her some form of acknowledgement as the pair made their way through the building, coming into the dining hall after not too long a walk.  
Ghira was waiting for them, alone at present, but a cup of tea at the spot on his side suggested someone else was with him also.  
“Ah, girls,” he smiled fondly at them. “Please, come and sit. Would you like some tea?”  
“Yes please!” the silver-eyed girl rushed to the spot across from Ghira, sitting on her knees and bouncing in place. “I hope it’s chamomile, that always means milk and honey.”  
“As it happens, it is,” Ghira nodded, pouring her a cup of tea from the teapot sitting in the middle of the table. “And it is even brewed how I know you like it.”  
The girl gasped in delight, clapping her hands together in excitement. “Yay!” The tea had scarcely finished pouring before her hands were around the cup, and sooner still at her mouth, careful with her sips as not to burn her tongue.  
Ghira had poured a cup for Blake as well, noting the annoyed expression in her eyes, as well as her flattened ears as the tea bubbled in her cup. “Something the matter, Blake?”  
Blake looked up at her father, the expressions on her face becoming harsher. “Actually, yeah, there is,” her tone matched the anger he had expected. “You’re trying to butter us up. I at least thought you’d be more subtle about it than this. So what are you about to say? That we shouldn’t trust Sienna for the hundredth time? That we should stay here and continue training while the rest of our friends go out and do their part for our people?”  
Ghira sat expressionless as she spoke, waiting for her to finish before letting out a sigh. “No, actually. I was planning on telling you that we had a visitor,” there was a sound of footsteps from the hallway behind him. From out of the shadows stepped a woman that looked remarkably like Blake, the only major differences were in her darker skin and laugh lines that showed her age.  
“Mom?” Blake was stunned, and her ears changed from anger to embarrassment.  
“Hi kids,” Kali waved as she approached the table. “Sorry I’ve been away for so long, we’ve been trying to establish a decent line of communication with the Schnee Dust Company for the past few months, and… well, we finally had a breakthrough.”  
“Kali!” the girl bolted out of her seat and into the arms that were already outstretched when she heard her name. “I missed you!”  
“I missed you too, my dear,” Kali pet the girl’s hair. “Have you been keeping up your training?”  
“Mhm!” she nodded fiercely. “I had a really good sparring session with the Obsidians today! Mr. Belladonna suggested my weapon and I’m pretty sure I almost had ‘em!”  
“Oho, you almost beat the trio, did you?” Kali smiled proudly, looking to Ghira, who gave a shrug of concession. “Very good job! They’re extremely skilled. They must have been very proud of you, too.”  
The girl giggled. “Yeah, they wanted to invite me out to lunch with them after, probably to talk tactics or teach me some cool moves.”  
The older Faunus chuckled softly. “I’m sure they were.” She looked over at Blake, who had been averting her eyes. “And you, Blake? Have you been doing alright?”  
“Yeah, I have,” she met her mother’s eyes, looking away for a brief moment to wipe away a tear that had begun welling in her eye. “Ilia and I are revealing our weapons later today at a sparring session of our own.”  
“Oh?” Kali’s eyebrow quirked. “Well, I’m glad to be back in time to watch, that sounds quite exciting. Any hints for what we’ll see later today?”  
“That would spoil the purpose of it being a surprise,” the edge that had been present in Blake’s voice had been slowly subsiding, now much softer. “We’re ready to go, we’re just waiting on…” she stopped to look at her dad before finishing her sentence. “On… her to arrive.”  
Kali looked between the two other Belladonnas, privy to both of their opinions on Sienna. “I see. I forgot that she was coming back to Menagerie today. That would explain the crowds. Well, I don’t imagine it will be long, then, I know the next ship was scheduled to arrive about an hour after mine, and… it’s been about that long now,” she looked at Ghira, nodding slowly.  
“Oh, I see,” Blake sounded less soft now. “Well, then perhaps I should go and get Ilia…”  
“Blake, please,” Ghira stopped her before she stood, sighing heavily. “There is another reason I wanted to see you both,” he gestured to the two women that were still standing to join him at the table again. After a moment, the four were now sitting together, and he took some time collecting his words while looking over everyone else. “Listen, you two. I know you both adore Sienna, that you see her as a hero to the people of Menagerie, and to Faunus in general,” he swung his gaze to the smaller girl. “And I truly do adore the way you look at the way people have treated you here before and did not let that influence your perceptions of the Faunus. But I would like to tell you both a story, and I will do my best to keep it brief.  
“Many years ago, Sienna and I were recruits of the White Fang, as you well know. We were recruited at different stages of our lives, but we had met each other after a fair amount of time in the service of our fellow Faunus: her as a soldier from start to finish, and myself starting on the same path and eventually leaning into diplomacy, as Kali does now,” he gestured at the woman. “We met on a mission to meet with the head of the Schnee Dust Company: Jacques Schnee, almost 10 years ago. You were a baby at the time, Blake, and I was the leader of the White Fang at the time. Sienna was among my most trusted lieutenants, and we complemented each other in many ways, covering the other’s weak points and doing everything we could to watch the other’s back.  
“It was a rather large moment in the history of the White Fang, and one that many within our organization saw as the crowning achievement of our movement. Finally, we might be able to discuss the strife of our people with a man who had the power to make a change for the better. I harbor no illusions to this day that we would have achieved everything we had wanted, after all, the man still uses forced labor to this day, and that suggests even after the events of that day that he may not have changed his mind.”  
“Slave labor, dad,” Blake felt the need to correct him. “It’s not ‘forced labor,’ it’s slave labor. He uses the Faunus as an unpaid workforce at best.”  
“That is… a discussion for another day,” he sighed again, meeting the fire in his daughters eyes with a sorrow in his own. “For now, I will attempt to tell my story without dragging it out too much longer.  
“Sienna and I had spent months setting up the perfect meeting: where would be reasonable to arrange such a substantial meeting, how we could secure it, turn it into a genuinely neutral ground, every angle imaginable. The only problem was that Sienna and I began to disagree about certain necessities during the meeting. I believed we should make it a weapons-free zone, and provide several security measures to ensure no weapon made it into the grounds, while Sienna was of the opinion that we needed to bring our most skilled soldiers to the meeting grounds in case it was a trap, something she had been assuming was the case since the inception of the idea.”  
“Soldiers like the Lamine and Carlyle’s parents?” the silver-eyed girl asked.  
“Indeed,” Ghira nodded solemnly. “Eventually, I conceded her point, with the addendum that no armed soldiers would be allowed in the immediate meeting space. After… lengthy debate, Sienna obliged my request, organizing a space that would be completely free of any weapons within a hundred feet, distance enough that there was no way an attack could come from anyone at the table, and any ranged attack would require time to make a precise strike.”  
“And with the addition of your Auras, that would make any attack at that distance much easier to get away from.”  
“Indeed,” Ghira nodded. “The day of the meeting finally came, and half a dozen influential individuals from both sides met together to discuss the possibility of the White Fang having something of a hand in the dealings of the Schnee companies. In months of preparation, there was never anything that indicated to me something was likely to go wrong, and I went into that day more hopeful than I had ever been in my entire life.  
“Clearly, someone did not feel the same.”  
Ghira clasped his hands together, taking another pause before continuing his story. “We had barely begun discussing the working conditions of our people when a bomb went off in the room that both parties had made sure to scan beforehand. Several on both sides died in the blast, and in the midst of the chaos that followed, Jacques and his staff had become rather panicked, blaming us for the explosion and demanding we stand down immediately. Suffice it to say, Sienna had no intention of doing so, blaming them for the attack just as they did us. Words eventually turned to fists, turned to… worse, and a battle ensued that almost claimed my life. While Sienna and I fought alongside the same soldiers she had demanded we bring, Jacques and his council made an extraordinarily quick escape while several ships full of Atlesian soldiers were on top of us in an instant. Sienna spent most of the battle ridiculing me for believing that it would have gone any other way, but soon enough, we were forced to split up, and I found myself running for cover with the Obsidians while Sienna led an attack on the commander of their forces.”  
Ghira scanned for the expressions between the two, finding that despite their differing opinions, both of the girls were thoroughly invested in hearing his story. “This led to them and I coming across the location of the bomb that had set the battle into motion, and we were lucky to have found pieces of the device still in the area while we held our cover. To my surprise, I found several distinct markings of improvised fusing, and a combination of Dust cartridge varieties that Sienna had very recently obtained from a raid that she had insisted was merely a mission to find resources from an abandoned warehouse only a week prior, something my own personal research would uncover the truth of not much later. I rose from cover to find that the Atlesians had surrounded the building, and Sienna had been baited into attacking the commander to draw her away from me, guaranteeing my capture with the intent that this would end their hostilities if the leader of the White Fang was in chains. Seeing no other way out, I agreed to a surrender, but Sienna had set a trap at the beginning of the battle that I hadn’t noticed, leaving several barbs of her whip around the meeting area and detonating them, simultaneously saving my life, and opening up the building to weapons fire from dozens of their soldiers. The Obsidians threw themselves in front of me, taking more bullets than any individual could ever survive, giving me the opportunity to escape back to our camp.”  
Kali laid a hand on Ghira’s hand, which had begun shaking lightly as he relieved the memories. “Sienna and her soldiers came back much later, just as we were about to declare them MIA. She was beaten, Aura gone, Dust depleted, but the fire in her eyes was burning brighter than it ever had before, and by the time we were on the ship back to Menagerie, she was already planning ten different attacks on their supply chains within the week, and when we were actually back, she began taking the steps that led to our more recent history of her taking over the Fang as leader. I had spent weeks trying to explain what I had discovered to other members of the White Fang’s council, but no matter how much time I put into trying to uncover the truth of the attack, no one ever seemed to care enough to actually confront her about the event. She and I grew distant, predictably, and before long had formed our own personal councils excluding the other. But the more victories she claimed, the more of my closest left my service, and she became the unspoken leader long before I actually stepped down from the position.”  
“Why did you never confront her about it?” Blake asked, clearly interested yet skeptical.  
“I did,” Ghira replied, having to take great care not to reply too sharply. “And she did everything short of actually denying she had anything to do with the attack, claiming that she knew nothing about how it had happened, but not denying any orders for an attack that day. Trying to talk about it with her was just arguing in circles, and every fight drove a deeper wedge between us, something I was not yet ready to deal with at that point.”  
“So… you think Sienna ordered an attack on the SDC?” Blake asked.  
“I am almost certain of it,” he nodded. “I understand that it sounds like the ramblings of a man who lost hope, but you must understand, I spent several years of my life dedicated to uncovering the truth, and every discovery I made alienated me to the others more and more, as well as drawing me away from my family. Eventually, I knew no one would truly wish to do anything about it even if I miraculously managed to prove her involvement, the White Fang had become so much more focused on her crusade of vengeance than our previous goals of peace. It’s a culture that has permeated into the overall attitude of our organization to this day, as most still believe the only way for us to achieve peace is to destroy those who oppress us.” He looked over at his wife, looking over at him with great care. “Which is why your mother coming back from a meeting with the SDC is extremely important. Not so long ago, I informed them that I had been conducting an investigation into the events surrounding that day during my tenure as leader of the White Fang, and I have since spent the past year trying to establish a relationship with people within their company, and even sooner than that, I sent them all of my findings regarding the investigation.”  
“You WHAT?” Blake shot to her feet, a fiery anger now in her voice. “Years of investigating something within our own organization, and you give it to our enemy!?”  
“What I’ve been trying to explain to you is that they are not our enemy,” Ghira still spoke at a level tone. “They are seeking peace with us as well.”  
“Because they want us to stop cutting into their profits!” Blake shouted. “Because they want us to lay down our weapons and give up, to not give them trouble!”  
“No, Blake,” the words were sharp. “They’re trying to improve, and they see that’s what we want, why we oppose them still, because they have not truly changed. Their leader still has never recovered from his stigma after what he rightly views as an assassination attempt, but many within do not agree and are trying to change it for the better.”  
“And you just gave it away to him without a second thought!” Blake’s anger was rising. “Now he has all of that data, and-“  
“Data that is a decade old, outdated,” Ghira snapped. “And I did not give it to Jacques Schnee, I gave it to a Dr. that has been working in Atlas for longer than he’s been running the company. He has a good reputation for wanting to help.”  
“And I can confirm that,” Kali added. “The man has a good heart and wants to make the world safer for people like his daughter. All of his research has been about how to use Dust and other sciences to improve quality of life, not develop weapons. The reason he wanted the data on the bomb was because he could track where the parts came from directly, and-“  
“But you just said you gave up on trying to prove she was guilty!” Blake cut him off. “So why-“  
“Enough, Blake!” Ghira had finally met her anger with some of his own. The pair sat in silence, staring each other down, both of whom seemed to shrink as more time had passed. Ghira, disappointed in himself for raising his voice, and Blake, realizing she had pushed just a little too far, refused to meet each other’s eyes for some time.  
“Well, now that you’ve both gotten your frustrations on the table, I think it would be best the two of us leave so you can talk about it,” Kali gestured at the youngest at the table, a knock at the door following just as she did so. “Well, that works for timing. How about we go and answer that, shall we?” The pair left the room, but not before the older woman cast a glance over her shoulder at both of her loves, concerned for both of them, but trusting in both of their senses of reason to prevail.  
Even after the pair had disappeared, the room remained silent for a long time, with Ghira eventually making an attempt to breach the gap. “Blake… I want you to know that I love you. That is why I cannot stop trying to win this fight peacefully. The less blood is shed, the more chance there is at your future being one of peace and kindness. I won’t lie and tell you that if it means your love that I’ll stop, because I can’t just do that. And even if I promised that, it wouldn’t stop the personal aspect of this for me either.”  
“Where are you going with this, dad?”  
“Heh, truth be told, I think I started rambling again,” he chuckled. “But I do have a point here. You have a good heart, Blake, I know you do. But you’re young, and you want to change the world, and I was much the same at your age. Please, try to look at all of the things you do, we do, with an outside perspective, see the reasonings without your personal bias.”  
“That… isn’t bad advice,” Blake relented. “I’ll consider what you said.”  
“Blake, I…” Ghira struggled for the words. “I’m sorry for getting so heated with you. I don’t want to drive a wedge between us like I did with Sienna. I don’t want to lose you, too.”  
Blake rubbed away a tear, finding more were about to follow. “You won’t dad. I promise.”

Sienna had done her best to make a quiet entry onto the island of Menagerie, slipping off of the ship stealthily instead of disembarking with the rest of her troops. She had told them to explain that she would be on board the ship for a time, planning and communicating with other White Fang cells from her command center, though she knew the explanation would not hold weight long.  
It would be long enough for her to make her way to the Belladonna estate unchecked.  
She weaved through the forest surrounding the city, though perhaps village was still a more appropriate term for the civilization that had “thrived” here. In several decades, they still had yet to make any sort of major technological advancements, still limited to working with what they could steal, as they could not openly trade for hardware that would help them grow.  
Good thing she had brought along more technology on this particular return.  
There was a simple joy in attempting to remain unseen in broad daylight, it reminded her of her early days in the Fang, when she was training to be an infiltrator for their spy unit, something she saw great potential for in both Blake and Ilia, two of her most impressive recruits. There was a joy she took in training the Belladonna child, but a sadness that went along with it. Once upon a time, she had wished that she and Ghira both would impart their skills into the girl, raising her up to be the next leader of the White Fang when their time eventually came. She had lost hope that Ghira would ever train her, though, after his method of exit from the organization.  
Which is why it was surprising that he still let the Fang use his estate for a fair amount of their work. A training center on their grounds, a communication hub within the building itself, and books and tomes as far as the eye could see all stored within their library documenting every operation, tactic, and goal the White Fang had ever made since their inception. Despite everything, she knew he could never completely leave the organization behind, it meant as much to him as it did to her, that was something they both understood about each other.  
Making her way into the heart of the settlement became slowly more difficult to conceal herself, with fewer trees and dark alleys to move between, having to rely on rooftop-hopping to remain unseen by the general populace, who had predictably been moving towards the harbor to see her ship, something that probably helped her escape.  
Soon enough, she had arrived at the Belladonna estate. While sneaking into the building was an option, she should at least maintain some level of respect for them by announcing her presence instead of just showing up out of nowhere, even if she was expected.  
She scanned the street in front of the estate, seeing that there were indeed a fair amount of people around. Likely there was no way to the door without being seen, but what could the masses do at this point, anyway? She leapt down from her perch high above, landing in a roll that brought her into the middle of the pathway, attracting the eyes of many in the area. Most of them seemed to be aware of who she was before she even came out of her roll, excitedly jabbering to those that walked with them, or pulling out some archaic device to take a picture of her with.  
She flashed a smile at her growing crowd of admirers before continuing her path forward, strolling along like none of them were there after her initial interaction. It was funny, despite her years of fighting for change, she appreciated the fact that the building the Belladonnas lived in never seemed to change on the outside, perhaps a perfect metaphor for all of the Faunus. While the exterior appearance stayed the same, the inside was constantly in motion, changing and developing to keep up with the modern world while maintaining who they were as a people, never bowing to the world at large.  
Bah, or perhaps she was waxing poetic again instead of focusing on achieving her goals. Her pace had even slowed as she focused on her metaphor, and perhaps this said more about her than her take on the metaphors of architecture.  
As she reached the top of the steps, she looked again at the street she had touched down on to see that a crowd had indeed formed at the entrance to the property, something that surprised her not at all. She couldn’t lie, the adoration was nice, but not because she liked the attention. In fact, she was a very antisocial person. No, it filled her with a sense of pride that the people could see her and feel a sense of pride that made them want to bask in her presence, for her to acknowledge all of them, as though that would fulfill their own sense of purpose in the world.  
She approached the door, taking the comically large knocker in her hand and giving a strong slam that she was sure the people below could hear. She didn’t expect them to be at the door, but it did surprise her how long it took for someone to arrive, but who answered it was even more surprising.  
“Kali?” it came out more as a question than a greeting. “It’s good to see you, it’s been a long time.”  
“So it has,” the cat-Faunus’ voice was colder than she expected. “A few years, as a matter of fact. Still waging war against a world?”  
“As long as I have to,” Sienna replied with a humorous edge. “Is he around?”  
“If by ‘he’ you mean my husband, he is busy at the moment,” Kali’s tone did not change. “You might as well come in, I’m sure he’ll be out soon enough.”  
Sienna heard the whoosh before she saw the girl or the petals that came with the sound. “Sienna!” a small pair of arms wrapped around Sienna’s hips. “I missed you a lot!”  
She met Kali’s eyes before looking down, an almost primal threat in them not unlike a den mother defending her children from a threat. There she was, the girl she had been training for years now to become the greatest weapon the White Fang had ever had. “I… missed you too,” her words lacked mirth, more spoken to prevent Kali’s rage. “Have you been keeping up on your training?”  
“Mhm! Mhm!” she nodded excitedly. “I’ve had at least three sparring sessions a week, and I’ve taken several classes every day on weapons training.”  
“Good,” she knelt down to meet the girls’ height, staring deep into her unique eyes. “And how have those been coming along?”  
“Um…” she shifted uncomfortably. “They… haven’t. I haven’t been able to figure out how to use them again since last time.”  
“Make it a point of focus that you do,” Sienna veiled her command with a more pleasant demeanor, seeing Kali was still bristling above her. “But regardless, I am still proud of you. How has Blake been doing?” she could hear Kali hiss through her teeth at the mention of her daughter.  
“Perhaps you should ask her yourself,” Kali interrupted, placing a hand on the girls’ shoulder and kneeling beside her. “How about you go check in on her while Sienna and I talk for a little bit. Does that sound alright?”  
The girl nodded with purpose, happy to accept the mission in front of her mother figure. “Yes ma’am!” she saluted before bolting back into the house.  
Both of the women stood fully upright, their eyes following the trail of petals the girl left behind as they spoke. “Within a minute, you make it about her training, as well as my daughter,” Kali spoke… eerily pleasant now. “I suggest the next time you stop by, you at least pretend to care about the girls’ well-being if you’re going to discuss them,” Kali turned to fix her gaze on the tiger Faunus. “If there is ever a next time.”  
Kali frowned. “I apologize,” she said. “But they are what I’m here for today, after all.”  
“Why?” Kali was now channeling the same anger Blake had not long before. “Why can’t you just let them be children a little longer? Why drag them into this so young?”  
“Because there is no time for innocence any longer,” Kali folded her arms. “I’m being demanded for results from her training, the time for change is nearly upon us.”  
“You can disguise war behind whatever words you want,” Kali closed the distance between them. “But if you get either of them hurt, rest assured, I will make sure you feel their pain tenfold. Whether you hurt Blake… or Ruby. I will make it my mission in life to hurt you how you hurt them.”  
“Watch your tongue, Kali,” Sienna lowered her voice to a growl. “Blake is your daughter, and I respect that fact. Ruby is not. She is my responsibility.”  
Kali’s eye twitched. “Your responsibility,” she repeated. “Not your daughter, or your ward, nothing so personal as an actual connection between you two. No. ‘Your responsibility,’ like she’s a pet you take care of.”  
“Not a pet, no,” Sienna maintained her aggressive stance. “But she isn’t my daughter. Not really.”  
Kali seemed ready to scream at her before taking a moment to recollect herself. “Then you better tell her you feel that way soon, because that’s who she sees in you. And like I said, if you hurt her, I will hurt you in return, and that goes for if you break her heart as well.”  
Kali pivoted on her heel, gesturing Sienna to follow, not a word left to speak to the visitor. The pair of women disappeared inside the building, leaving the outside air of the Faunus’ world behind them, entering now into a world of business… and vengeance.


End file.
